U20 Match Report: Dublin University R.F.C. 21 – Old Belvedere R.F.C. 33

U20 Match Report: Dublin University R.F.C. 21 – Old Belvedere R.F.C. 33

Friday 12th December, College Park

KO: 19:30

It wasn’t just the Christmas Lights in Merrion Park that lit up the night sky in D2 last night. A pulsating game of rugby was played in front of hundreds of supporters who turned up to College Park for the evening kick off.

Keen to be taken off Santa’s naughty list after four defeats on the bounce, the Black & Whites began with gusto. Playing against the wind, Belvo opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Full-back Finn Kehoe, secure under the high ball all night, caught a clearing kick inside his own half and moved the ball swiftly infield to out-half Daragh O’Dwyer who spotted a chink in the defensive line. Breaking a tackle in midfield he charged towards the ’22, and with a 2 v 1, he released rapid left winger Jake Dolly who outstripped the chasing cover to score in the corner. The difficult conversion from the left was struck through the posts by the No.10 to open the scoring at 0 – 7.

Playing with tempo and control, Belvo continued to press home their advantage. In the 16th minute, Belvo kicked a penalty into Trinity’s ’22. The Black & Whites secured the lineout and after several patient phases the Students were penalised 5m from their line. Opting to tap and go, Trinity infringed again as quick-thinking scrum-half Chris O’Connor was blocked by a defender standing in an offside position. The referee went to his pocket and produced the yellow. The Black & Whites opted for another tap penalty, and the pack drove over the Trinity whitewash. Powerful No. 8 Conan Lennon emerged with the ball and Daragh O’Dwyer converted to bring the score to 0 – 14.

In the 28th minute things got even worse for Trinity. Opting to kick a garryowen into the night sky from a free-kick, Daragh O’Dwyer fielded the kick on his 10m line and immediately offloaded to the elusive Finn Kehoe. Moving the ball quickly from the resultant ruck, Daragh O’Dwyer put in a clever grubber between the rushing defensive line. The ball bounced up beautifully into the hands of right winger JP Breslin who was doing his best Mack Hansen impression by popping up all over the pitch. The pacy winger still had a lot of work to do. He made a beautiful show and go with the ball which confounded the Trinity defenders, and he scorched through a gap to score. The difficult conversion was missed, but Belvo now had a 19-point lead.

In the 38th minute, Trinity struck back. Winning a penalty, they kicked to just outside the ’22. Winning the shortened line-out, the Trinity No. 10 threw a skip pass to hit the Trinity No. 12, Calum McDonald (younger brother of 1st XV Will), who was travelling at a rate of knots on a hard line. His momentum broke several tackles, and he went in under the posts. The conversion was good to bring the score to 7 – 19 at half time.

Trinity continued their comeback right from the start of the second half, while Belvo’s ill-discipline was resulting in a mounting penalty count. The referee’s patience eventually ran thin and in the 56th minute, after yet another infringement, he produced a “team” yellow card for scrum-half Chris O’Connor. Trinity’s numerical advantage was made to count in the 65th minute when the Students eventually stretched the Belvo defence after multiple phases. Seeing space in the backfield, Trinity’s right winger put in an inch perfect grubber from just outside the ’22 and won the sprint to ground the ball. The difficult conversion was good, to bring the score to 14 – 19.

But Belvo’s 14 men dug deep. From the restart, Trinity’s clearing kick was blocked down by hard-charging No.12 Paddy O’Gorman. Belvo’s lineout was dominant all evening, and energetic No. 6 Harvey Leonard committed grand larceny again by picking off another Trinity throw. The pack mauled and went through several phases. It appeared Belvo got their just deserts, but the ball was adjudged to have hit the referee before it was touched down. From the resulting scrum the physical Conan Lennon, who was enjoying a fine evening, picked off at the base. With true grit and no lack of determination, the No.8 shrugged off several defenders before crashing over the whitewash for his second try of the evening. Daragh O’Dwyer made sure of the extras to bring the score to 14 – 26.

Trinity refused to throw in the towel. Winning field position in Belvo’s ’22 in the 77th minute, the Students called a tap penalty after another line-out infringement and the pack crashed over to record their third try. The conversion followed to bring the score to 21 – 26.

To the Belvo supporters, this seemed like déjà vu all over again. In the dying minutes Belvo were awarded a penalty 48m out from the Trinity posts. Knowing that 3 points was likely to be sufficient to guarantee victory, Daragh O’Dwyer’s effort had the distance but just shaved the posts.

The coaches’ collective blood pressure was spiking faster than a sauna’s thermometer. Spotting a gap some 45m out on the short side, some excellent passing released the elusive finisher Matty Doyle who gave Belvo an entry into the Students’ ’22. Sometimes sheer brute force and fortitude is the best option. After several phases No.9 Chris O’Connor fed Harvey Leonard who decided to take matters into his own hands, and he smashed through the defensive line to score under the posts. The conversion was good, and the game finished 21- 33.

It was a fantastic result for the boys in Black & White. College Park is not an easy venue to visit, and it’s rare to come away with 5 points. The collective intensity, tempo and mental strength was the key to this victory, and all 22 players played their part.

After the game, some great news was shared with the squad. No. 6 Harvey Leonard has been called into the Irish U19 training camp, which will train over the Christmas period. This is a great honour for Harvey, his family & friend, his Club, his teammates and his coaches. Congratulations Harvey!

Tries: Jake Dolly, JP Breslin, Conan Lennon (2), Harvey Leonard

Conversions: Daragh O’Dwyer (4)

Man of the Match: No. 12 Paddy O’Gorman.